PXI and LXI simulation tools reduce test development time
Hardware and software simulation tools from Pickering Interfaces accelerate development times while mitigating supply chain issues, said the company. The simulation tools, together with verify and debug test program code simulate more than 1000 PXI and LXI modules
The tools enable test engineers to begin writing and verifying test program code. They can simulate all Pickering PXI and LXI switching products and most of the company’s PXI simulation products, allowing for fast code development independent of application hardware.
To mitigate supply chain risks, applications can be designed and developed without the presence of physical hardware. Engineers can therefore begin working on a test system immediately while waiting for hardware to ship.
Engineers can speed up the traditional waterfall development process and complete multiple development steps at once.
They can also pre-qualify equipment and test software code early in the development process. Switch routes can now be verified before the hardware has arrived rather than only being verified and debugged later only when hardware is available. By simulating switching and simulation modules before using physical components, engineers also minimise the risk of damaging costly test system hardware during verification.
“We want to remove every barrier engineers face in getting their test systems up and running,” said Noman Hussain, vice president of software at Pickering Interfaces. In addition to evaluating hardware or testing code immediately, they can use these tools to select the optimum Pickering products for the test application, ready to deploy when hardware is delivered.
The PXI simulation software is now part of the standard Pickering PXI driver installation and the LXI simulation software is a standalone Windows application that can emulate Pickering’s switching and simulation products in virtual environment. Engineers can use both PXI and LXI software simulations to interact with their test programs.
The LXI simulation tool (model 60-901) can be up and running within minutes, said Pickering. By connecting power and Ethernet cords, downloading and installing free Pickering drivers and selecting the appropriate Pickering modules to test, engineers can run a simulation, and then easily re-program the tool to simulate different modules, confirmed Pickering.
